Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1887-09-08
BUSY GLASSBLOWER
A Sketch of the Cumberland
Glass Works.

On the first day of September all OF
the hollow-ware factories in this city
started up, after rest of three months.
The glass firms have all made many
improvements, but probably the great
est have been made by the Cumber-
land Glass Company They have a
handsome new store, and the plate
glass house, which in the past has
proved somewhat of failure, has been
torn out. and in place of the plate glass
furnaces there is a set of temperlng
ovens and one lear. The old sand shed
has been torn down and a brick one
raised in it's place, which is now filed
with 700 tons of fine white sand from
the sand washes of Garrison u Brother.
Many other improvements of minor
nature have been made which will
greatly aid them in the prosecution OF
their work
The ravine between two of the
houses is rapidly being filled up, and
when level with the ground about,
there will be built upon it a warehouse
for the storing Of goods which are
soon to be shipped.
The store building is nearly com
pleted, and is indeed a model of its
kind. The front is of plate glass with
doors opening into large, well-lighted
room. On one side groceries will be
kept, while the other side will be given
up to the dry goods trade. In the
back part will be boots and shoes. In
the rear of the store are two rooms.
The one on the south side, which is to
u be nsed the office vof the company,
is separated from the store by win
dows. On the north side of the store
is an elevator connecting the lower
floor with the store-room above. The
old Office will be used as sample room.
The second story is divided into two
rooms. The back one will be used as
store-room, and in the front one a
night school will be maintained, where
their boys can be fairly we'll educated.
Sundays it will be used as a Sunday
School room. Outside and inside stair
ways lead to the second story.
Yesterday afternoon all was activity.
Men were making the patches for the
blowers to-day, and the boys were get
ting their tools together. The making
up of the patches is quite interesting,
and simple to understand though diff
cult to do. Sand, soda and lime are
used to mix the batch. In each OF the
five pots in the furnace gross ton Of
this is made up. The soda and lime
work what glass blowers call ''flux, :"
which cuts the sand, and the heat
purifies it. After the batch is melted
it is like pot of yeast, working and
foaming. This morning the blowers
took up their pipes and commenced
operations, and in a very short time
the sand, lime and soda of yesterday
were transformed into bottles Of vari-
GUS shapes and sizes.
This firm start up two hollow-ware
houses to-day. This is something they
have never done before, but the
numerous orders they have already
received, and the fiattering prospects
seem to warrant it, In one of the
houses thirty-eight blowers are em-
ployed, and in the other twenty-eight.
In all there are about two hundred
men at work in and about the houses.
In 1880 the Cumberland Glass Com
pany commenced business on Water
street, and were there for two years.
They then moved their works to the
present location, which is unsurpassed
by any glass firm in South Jersey.
They have the Central railroad tracks
running into their yards and are con-
nected with the city by telephone.
When the firm took their works to
the place it was open country all
around, but since then the contractors
and builders have been kept busy and
many houses have been erected and
with them stores. The company have
branched out largely and are yet con-
templating many improvements. They
own 1000 feet front of building lots on
Laurel street and at no early day 1t is
safe to say they will be built up. The
firm has been successful and deserves
to be, as they have done much to ben
eit Che town and give employment to
many men.
Bogus So silver certificates have been
freely circulated by counterfeiters.